Thursday, July 31, 2014

The (first) investigative report on misconducts in former Kato laboratory at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences

The Committee on Research Activity Standards, The University of Tokyo

Summary
(1) This committee started the investigation on September 30th, 2013, made an interim report on December 26th of the same year in which we acknowledged the fact that up to 51 papers contained figures that were deemed to be scientifically inappropriate, and for the time being we have made the following rulings for four personnels.

Mr. Shigeaki Kato managed the laboratory in an inappropriate manner to create an environment where misconducts would occur and took actions that are considered to be obstruction of the investigation.

Mr. Jun Yanagisawa fabricated and falsified data in a paper in which he was the first author and took actions that are considered to be obstruction of the investigation.

Mr. Hiroshi Kitagawa fabricated and falsified data in two of the four papers in which he was the first author and took actions that are considered to be obstruction of the investigation.

Mr. Kenichi Takeyama followed the instructions of Mr. Shigeaki Kato and helped fabrication and falsification of data to avoid retraction of one paper from a journal and responded in an inappropriate manner in the course of the investigation.

(2) Of the 51 papers, we are still in the process of investigation of the papers other than the five papers that we have made our rulings on this time. However, it is our judgement that inappropriate management and supervisions by the four, namely Mr. Shgeaki Kato, the principal investigator, and the researchers who played central roles in the laboratory, Mr. Jun Yanagisawa, Mr. Hiroshi Kitagawa, and Mr. Kenichi Takeyama, were the main factors for the misconducts that could be found in those papers.